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derry n.h u.s.a.

Today we moved a pumpkin to bring to a county fair.I used the only lifting tarp i own.First we tried to move it with 5 fairly big guys.Then made a call and got 2 more men.So seven of us total.And man it was still heavy. It taped 322 or something close to that.Cant wait to see what it weighs tomorrow afternoon.Anyways the tarp i have isent big enough to lift my largest it's to late to order one.will a 40 x40 tarp blue plastic tarp be o.k folded 6 or 8 times.Or is there anything else i could use. The pumpkin in question is around 1000lbS.Any one know something i don't other then a tarp! John

9/24/2001 4:14:37 PM

Western Pa.

Get a carpet remnant. I roll the sides up around conduit,and tape with duct tape, Then cut some half moon lifting holes by the conduit and wrap with duct tape. A carpet will support a lot of weight, better check with the manufacturer to find out just how much!

kilr

9/24/2001 4:46:07 PM

Long Island,New York

Call a friend who grows pumpkins locally...everyone wants to be part of a 1000lb lift..you help him and he helps you.........do yours first so they arent too tired !....G

9/24/2001 5:38:15 PM

Utah

John-

322 OTT tapes to 664 lbs- 7 people.. sounds about right to
me.
a big tarp fold mulitple time should work just fine.
a 40x 40 folder 4 times will give you a 10 x 10 with
8 layers. 5 times is a 5 x 10 with 16 layers.
last year i moved a 520 lb-er with a 4 layer
blue tarp.
just make sure you get 10-12 guys for the 1000 lb-er.
my experience with tarps is that they rip at the handles-
where you put holes in them -like for the handles.
how are your handles rigged ?
this is what i did... i'm sure there are other methods
that work well too.
I double the edge all the way around about 2 inches
then boughts some of the metal grommets-at walmart- just like the ones already there. place two grommets for
each handle about 6-8 inches apart all the way around.
then i put a piece of rope through 6 inch PVC pipe handles
and tied them to the tarp.
the more handle and people you have the less stress on
each handle where it attaches to the tarp ( and less
stress on each person too)
one thing you can do it make one - then test it.
you can by 1000+ lbs of post mix at the local
hardware they are typically 80-90 lbs each.
hope this helps.
gordon
Gordon

9/24/2001 7:16:02 PM

Connecticut, USA

Wish I had that problem!

Can't wait to see it at Topsfield...

9/24/2001 8:03:05 PM

derry n.h u.s.a.

Thanks kilr,Glenn,Gordon
sense i cant get ahold of a carpet i think i'll go with the 40x40 folded and use your advise gordon,Glenn i have Don Eisenhower and maybe his son,Basically i've been calling friends and asking them to bring a friend so i should have atleast 10 maybe as many as 14 and i think that will do the trick.And thanks again guys.I'll post my 322ott weight tomorrow night when i get back from Deerfield Fair.John

9/24/2001 8:04:50 PM

Rexburg, Idaho

John
Will a 1000 lb pumpkin fit in the pickup? Are you going to put it on a pallet, and what kind of padding are you going to use under the pumpkin? Mine isn't that big but these are questions I've been having.

9/24/2001 8:29:48 PM

Greencastle, PA

Go, Jhon, go!

9/24/2001 8:34:59 PM

Myrtle Creek, Oregon

Go Brian C. Kick it and let it roll on down to my house!!
<;-) H-K-J

9/24/2001 9:58:01 PM

How mch do lifting tarps cost and where can you get them?

9/24/2001 10:08:06 PM

Long Island,New York

Brian...I watched Tony Ciliberto pull up with a Ford pickup last year with a 801 and a 983 in the bed.Two fruit. ....(of course he was being towed by a chevy.....lol)

9/24/2001 10:30:00 PM

derry n.h u.s.a.

brian:
I made a custum pallett 46x63".So the forks can pull it off the long way.Tommorow gotta go to home depot and find some thick insulation or foam of sorts going 4" thick the pallett is71\2" high with foam it's 1 ft high so the pumpkin is going to be riding high.And that makes for another stop at the local auto store for some thick sinch straps.Man it costs to grow these things.Hope it raises some eyebrows.John

9/24/2001 10:44:17 PM

Rexburg, Idaho

John
That's along the line of what I was thinking my pumpkin is wider than the wheel wells so I have to get above those some how. Are you planning a strapping the pumpkin down or just the pallet? I will probably pick up some sort of no slide bed liner so the pallet doesn't slide on the bed. I'm looking forward to all the looks this thing will get driving down the freeway.

9/24/2001 11:22:08 PM

Ga.

Watch out guys,,might make someone have a fender bender looking and gawking at it!! You go John,,good luck!

9/25/2001 7:30:05 AM

Connecticut, USA

Hey John, what seed did you grow that monster on? I can't wait to see it on Saturday! It looks HUGE in the photos!

9/25/2001 7:43:57 AM

derry n.h u.s.a.

hi Ken:
the 723 bobiar.
John

9/25/2001 9:43:19 AM

Utah

John-
you probably already know this but i'll say it anyway just
in case-
you need to adjust final the size of the trap to match
your pumpkin size. if the trap is much large than the
pumpkin and has long rope handles then you'll have to
much slack in both and won't get the pumpkin off the
ground. If the tarp and handles are to small then
the handle will be right next to pumpkin and you won't
have any room to lift- or risk the handles digging into
the pumpkin as you lift.
good luck
gordon

9/25/2001 10:52:11 AM

derry n.h u.s.a.

Thanks again Gordon:
The 322Ott was from a 974 AE seed.
It weighed 685lbs.The cross was 974x723
I won't what i placed till tommorow.John G..

9/25/2001 1:58:51 PM

Greencastle, PA

Wow, if there's one seed I want it's the 723, don't get agrivated, I'm just saying it's a good seed. I'm not even going to ask because I know I'll never get one. :)
Tom

9/25/2001 5:48:07 PM

Charlotte, North Carolina

I saw this Travel Channel special on pumpkin festivals and there is this woman who KNITS pumpkin lifting nets for her husband. She knits with a kind of tough material almost like a thin rope. I saw the net go into action and it worked pretty good.
Just a suggestion.

9/25/2001 6:53:29 PM

Greencastle, PA

it looks like tarps for 900+ pounders are generally between $70 and $80. Good luck,
Tom

9/25/2001 7:50:35 PM

Tipp City, Ohio

Although my first AG weighed 184 lbs I lifted it by myself. I used my John Deere 2010 and put a dumping bucket on the 3-pt hitch. I put cardboard on the bottom, rolled the pumpkin over, and presto up she went. If the pumpkin was any wider it would not have fit between the rails. I'm thinking about making a platform for next years pumpkin to grow on (like a pallet) then all I will need to do is lift it with my JD. Tom

9/25/2001 11:27:29 PM

Sloughhouse, CA

My husband put two 1X4's under the pallet and then used 1in steel pipe to roll it from the patio into the truck bed. We used 1 inch straps tied with rope to make a tarp and tied it to the bucket of the tractor and lifted it up to the patio.

9/27/2001 1:18:22 AM

Greencastle, PA

Good luck at the wiegh-off tomarrow, John, I got your name right this time, lol.
Tom

9/28/2001 11:03:36 PM